Guatemala sees reforms and protests as judiciary faces democratization push

Guatemala’s judicial system is in a period of intense change and conflict. Critics describe the current judicial hierarchy as dominated by figures such as Roberto Molina Barreto, Dina Ochoa and magistrate Julia Marisol Rivera, appointed by former rector Walter Mazariegos, and accuse them of manipulating the election for the rector of the University of San Carlos. The criticism calls for nationwide protests and urges civil society, professional colleges and university staff to act against what they view as an antidemocratic takeover, noting that President Bernardo Arévalo has refrained from intervening.

At the same time, a mission of former Latin‑American presidents led by ex‑Guatemalan president Carlos Alvarado Quesada, under the Instituto de Clima, Democracia e Inclusión, highlighted “important advances” in the democratic renewal of Guatemala’s top courts, the Constitutional Court, the Supreme Electoral Tribunal and the Public Ministry. The delegation praised recent leadership changes in the prosecutor’s office and stressed the need for continued international monitoring of future appointments to the Comptroller’s Office, the Supreme Court and other key institutions, while acknowledging remaining institutional challenges.